Texas State fairgoers pay to park and get towed

Dozens, maybe even hundreds, of visitors to the fair, many from out of town who had come to see the big Texas-OU showdown, had their vehicles towed after parking in what they thought were legitimate parking areas.

They told reporter Stella Chavez and me that they each paid $10 to park in various lots outside the fairgrounds. And then they had to pay $200 to a local towing company, Lone Star Auto Services, to get their cars back.

People wearing orange vests and waving flags directed motorists to park in a lot off Haskell Avenue near Exposition, said Rachael Escamilla. But when she walked back to her car around 10 p.m., it was gone. Someone from a nearby business told her it had been towed. She said it then took her and her mother 45 minutes to walk to Lone Star’s impound lot.

“There were tons of cars there,” Ms. Escamilla said of where she parked her car. “They were flagging us in. It looked legit.”

“There were no signs. Nothing,” said her mother, Yolanda Jaramillo. “It’s not right.”

All of those we spoke with said the same thing: they were waved into the lots just like any other special event parking. They didn’t see any “No Parking” signs. But when they returned hours later, large “No Parking” signs were placed prominently in the lots. And the lots — once full with cars — were left empty.

What started out as a day of intense rivalry ended with Longhorn and Sooner fans united in anger against Lone Star Auto Services, of Dallas, on Beeman Ave. A woman who answered the phone at Lone Star declined to comment. You can reach the company at 214-428-6900.

Many had thought their cars were stolen. Some wandered on Haskell Avenue outside the fairgrounds, looking confused and worried.

From the afternoon until late into the night, Dallas police officers picked up families, young couples and football fans of all ages and brought them to Lone Star’s property, where they had to wait in line for up to five hours to get their vehicles back.

At 11 p.m., some people waiting in line had been there since 4 p.m. One girl was in tears. Some people sat on the ground tired and frustrated.

Others had infants and young children, said Carla Fults, of Burleson. Police officers dropped off water for them earlier in the day, she said.

“It looked legit,” said Tara Fults, her daughter.

Ms. Fults said she and her friends noticed a no parking sign nailed to a tree upon returning to their vehicle.

“We would have seen it and everyone else would have seen it,” Ms. Fults said.

Many suspected a scam. They were told they couldn’t pay with credit cards. Cash and debit only. The police wouldn’t do anything about it. Officers told them to contact the City of Dallas, which regulates towing, to file a complaint.

A Dallas police officer who dropped off another family at Lone Star’s lot after 11 p.m. Saturday told us they had caught someone placing a “no parking” sign in one of the lots. He said he didn’t have any more information about it.

The officer also said State Fair officials were not happy about what happened.

That’s not surprising.

The annual Texas-OU game is one of the city’s premiere sporting events and a big draw for the fair. The Red River Rivalry between the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma attracts the biggest single-day crowds.

Heidi Raines of Longview stood in line to get her car back Saturday night. She was still in tears about what happened. She said the “No Parking” signs mysteriously appeared when she showed up to get her car only to find it gone. She said she was afraid her car was stolen. A police officer found her and brought her to Lone Star’s lot.

Nannette Lopez of Austin said Lone Star Wreckers were pulling 10 cars an hour into the impound lot. She said the crowd of people waiting for their cars became angry and unruly earlier in the day and that police officers had to come out to keep the peace.

Someone had thrown something at the service shack, shattering a window, she said.